Tag Archives: Max Picard

On a planet crammed with ever-increasing news of a volatile nature,which is the noise made when titanic ships meet unexpected icebergs, orthe cacophony generated by an entire civilization wired for sound,observing and analyzing itself as it warps into unintelligible shapes,I hesitate as never before to add my own little bit of news.

The terrorist attacks of September 11th have shaken the entire Western world, shattering our complacency, revealing to us the state of our unpreparedness, both sociopolitically and spiritually. We must hope that the subsequent turning to God in public and private prayer will continue, and that the present conflict will not spiral out of control into a global conflict. We must pray that Christ’s peace and his true justice will triumph over man’s instinctive desire for vengeance, and his need for security.

Freedom from fear is a good, but it cannot be purchased at any cost. If our highest value is only security, then we may for a time secure the borders of the West against the fanatics who hate us. But the internal life of a people is ultimately its best guarantor of strength. If we do not return to the principles God has written into creation, and live by moral absolutes both in our private lives and in our culture, we will suffer more attacks from violent individuals and groups.